Tony Benn

Hope is the fuel of progress and fear is the prison in which you put yourself.

We are not just here to manage capitalism but to change society and to define its finer values.

I did not enter the Labour Party 47 years ago to have our manifesto written by Dr Mori, Dr Gallup and Mr Harris

No medieval monarch in the whole of British history ever had such power as every modern British Prime Minister has in his or her hands. Nor does any American President have power approaching this

Through talk, we tamed kings, restrained tyrants, averted revolution

The crisis that we inherit when we come to power will be the occasion for fundamental change and not the excuse for postponing it

I am not a reluctant peer but a persistent commoner

We used to have a War Office, but now we have a Ministry of Defence, nuclear bombs are now described as deterrents, innocent civilians killed in war are now described as collateral damage and military incompetence leading to US bombers killing British soldiers is cosily described as friendly fire. Those who are in favour of peace are described as mavericks and troublemakers, whereas the real militants are those who want the war.